


on that day, when the sky fell away

by nootnootsaggressively



Category: Super Smash Brothers, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
Genre: (that's to be expected though), Despair, Gen, Introspection, Major character death - Freeform, Mentions of Other Super Smash Brothers Characters, Tragedy, World of Light (Super Smash Brothers), if you want link angst you've come to the right place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 13:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16517066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nootnootsaggressively/pseuds/nootnootsaggressively
Summary: Whatever they had prepared for, it had been nothing like this.Link watches, helpless, as the Master Hands disintegrate into shards of blue, and as the seraph begins to glow, ominous and quiet.(( alternatively; the World of Light trailer, from Link's POV. ))





	on that day, when the sky fell away

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys so the wol trailer D E S T R O Y E D me. I never knew I'd watch all my favourite characters get DESTROYED on a rainy thursday afternoon eating bad macaroni cheese, but here we are
> 
> wrote this up very quickly after thinking about how my fave boy was the first to die.... if anything needs tweaking, let me know!
> 
> I listened to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePKjkPl8jJs) while writing. It's SO fitting, especially for the WoL trailer, AND in terms of NieR: Automata if you think about Palutena, Pit & Pitoo (will expand on this in the end notes)
> 
> enjoy some Link angst :')

Whatever they had prepared for, it had been nothing like _this._

Link watches, helpless, as the Master Hands disintegrate into shards of blue, and as the seraph begins to glow, ominous and quiet.

None of them had known what to expect when Fox had called them all together, right before the tournament was due to begin. At worst, they had assumed Petey Piranha was throwing a fuss again, and had needed a talking to - or a bit of knocking about, if he was being _really_ temperamental.

None of them expecting anything as serious as _this._

Shulk whips around, panic and fear and pure, unadulterated _desperation_ etched across face, and opens his mouth.  

He doesn’t get the chance to say anything, though, because suddenly there’s a sharp whistling sound, high and screeching, piercing through Link’s eardrums like the twang of one of the Princess’ Light Arrows. The whistling sound is joined by others, all overlapping each other in a cluster of grating noise.

Then, the seraph in the sky expels thousands of beams of light, all chasing the cliff with deadly intent. With a sinking feeling, Link realises that they’re far too fast and far too quick for any of them to _react,_ let alone fight.

Out of instinct, Link raises his sword and shield a little higher. If it weren’t for the blinding white of these bolts of light, he could very easily pretend it was just a Guardian he’s trying to defend against.

He tries to ignore the dread that’s sloshing around in his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him completely.

Part of him recalls the frantic look in Shulk’s eyes, before he forcibly quashes the image down. He’s already failed Hyrule once, he thinks, ruefully. He’s already fallen, one hundred years ago, and now there is nothing in this world he wouldn’t do to protect his friends.

As it is, Link doesn’t have much time to dwell on the past, because the seraph’s light seeks him first.

The first bolt of light is the one he perfectly parries. The shot ricochets off his shield, impacting with a devastatingly loud _clash_ , before deflecting somewhere else. Link only hopes that it doesn’t hit one of the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he barely has time to see Samus readying her arm cannon, before another jet of light is charging towards him.

He hears a scream from behind - it sounds like Isabelle, and he hopes that she’s running - before he slashes with his sword.

Ultimately, that becomes his downfall.

The slash leaves him unbalanced, and does very little against the light, because suddenly he’s being knocked backwards and backwards, until he’s teetering on the balls of his feet -

Link doesn’t think. He raises his Hylian Shield again, and looks up, only for his vision to become utterly engulfed in the light.

Someone else shouts from his left. He thinks it might be Robin, but he can’t check. Time seems to still, if only for a second - just so Link can recollect the last time he stood in front of someone he wanted to protect, lurching between life and death, both body and mind crashing and tumbling into the abyss.

 _I couldn’t protect them,_ he thinks, raising the Master Sword one last time, and then _I’m sorry,_ as the light consumes him and shreds him to nothing, the whooshing sound perfectly in tune with the screams of his friends as they watch the first one fall.

**Author's Note:**

> about the Palutena thing - in the WoL trailer, she (presumably) tells Pit & Pitoo to run and leave her behind as she buys them time to escape. In Automata, the Commander **[SPOILERS FOR THE START OF ROUTE C]** also tells 2B and 9S to escape and leave her behind as the Bunker collapses. the music is so very angsty and UGH
> 
> I can't wait for December. there's so much to go off of from this trailer alone (mArth, SHULK, SO NI C AND PIKAC HU) and I am so tempted to write about everything
> 
> comments help me out very much. <3


End file.
